The Dark-Side Of Charismatic Leaders: A Critical Discussion On An Ideal Leadership Style

Positive Attributes of Charismatic Leaders

Leadership is the act through which an individual leads a group of people or an organisation. A leader is a person who has ethical and moral values and the ability to lead a group of people towards a set goal and shows them the way to achieve the goal. There are several leadership styles which are based on the characteristics and the values that one has. Every leader has different styles of leading and this where the leadership styles come from (Silva, 2016). The different kinds of leadership styles are transformational leadership, servant leadership, transactional leadership, laissez-faire leadership, autocratic leadership, bureaucratic leadership, democratic leadership and charismatic leadership. Just like the good qualities that every leader possesses, there are dark sides to them as well. This essay will critically discuss the dark side of charismatic leaders and derive if there is any leadership style which is ideal for every individual.

Shamir, Arthur and House (2018) states charismatic leaders as individuals who hold charisma in their personality and are able to influence the people and lead them with his power of attraction and the effect that they have on the people with their style of speech and convincing power. Graham, Ziegert and Capitano (2015) observe that the charismatic elements of this kind of leadership style to give a clear sense of direction and purpose and a proper vision to the followers so that they are able to go on a fixed path towards the achievement of their goals. The charismatic nature that the leader incorporates in this leadership style motivates the followers to work harder for the fulfilment of their goals and to provide better results. Bell (2013) further states that the followers are influenced by the charismatic leader due to the knowledge that he possesses, his expertise in the field that he is leading in and the control that he holds over the situation. Moreover, communication is a major attribute of any leadership style. This is why a charismatic leader should be able to effectively communicate with his followers and not just give out information. The leader should be able to understand the characters and habits of his followers so that it becomes easier for him to lead the group. Charismatic leaders are the best in giving public speeches and connecting with the crowd and motivating them in any situation. They are able to deliver any message in the best way and excite the crowd with the importance of the message. They are able the understand every situation in a much deeper way which helps these leaders to better lead the group and also help them solve any issues that might be faced by the group. Antonakis and Day (2017) further proposed that charismatic leaders can help to make changes in the society and they are the ones who have the capability to emotionally appeal to the crowd and have them follow him to fulfil the mission of the leader.   

The Dark-Side of Charismatic Leaders

However, charismatic leaders also have a dark side which comes into being when they are most vulnerable. Even though these leaders are able to attract a large group of the crowd to themselves, there are several instances where the leader fail to do so. To understand this it is first important to understand the concept of the dark side. Kaiser, LeBreton and Hogan (2015) define the characteristics of the dark side as being dysfunctional, counterproductive and subclinical. These characteristics can prove to be a major defect for the personality of an individual. The dark side is defined in this research as the personality that is portrayed by an individual when they are tired, stresses or not worried about the way that they are being perceived by other people. According to Karakitapo?lu-Aygün and Gumusluoglu (2013), the dark side of charismatic leadership style will give rise to traits such as unethical behaviours, injustice, abuse of power and others. These traits do not allow the followers from realising their goal and hence prevents them from finding ways to achieve them. This research further divulges into the concept that the dark side of leadership can lead to the downfall of the organisation and the followers since the leader would not be able to lead the followers in the right direction and supervise them in their actions. The behaviour that is portrayed by the leaders during this time will not be in the interest of the followers or the organisation but their own which is not the real trait of a charismatic leader since their first priority should always be the well-being of the followers and the organisation.

Westerlaken and Woods (2013) further state that charismatic leaders while being dominated by their dark side show signs of aggression, threat, exploitation and punishment so that they can manipulate the followers into working for his personal gain. They do not portray the usual characteristics of helpfulness and loyalty towards the followers and no longer hold the charisma that they usually have. The dark side prevents them from understanding the issues and wants of the followers and he longer is able to provide them with a proper direction through which they can fulfil their goals. As stated by Fioravante (2013) the dark side of charismatic leader are more attracted to abusing and controlling the situation that exhibits moral reasoning.  The leader does not lead the followers by communicating with them, he rather rules autocratically. He fails to see the positiveness of the future that helps the followers and him to become successful and things only about the benefits that he is going to derive from the situation. Due to the poor channels of communication that is present between the followers and the leader, the leader is not able to establish an organisation which is successful and supported by the followers. This is not the usual kind of scenario that is expected from a charismatic leader whose main attribute is to ensure that proper communication is established between the leader and the followers or the organisation so that they are able to create an environment which is in support of the followers and the organisation. Schyns and Schilling (2013) acknowledge that the dark side of a charismatic leader is developed voluntarily and that this is done to cause harm to the followers in both physical and verbal way. This kind of action is done only in self-interest and the goodness of the followers are not considered by the leader. This kind of action is mostly focused on the followers than the organisation itself and even though they might cause harm to the followers, these leaders might work for the betterment of the organisation as a whole in some contexts.

An Ideal Leadership Style

Due to this negative aspect of charismatic leaders, it is of utmost importance to establish an ideal leadership style which will help the followers to realise their potential and goals and lead them the perfect way to achieve those goals. Ghasabeh, Soosay and Reaiche (2015) state that the ideal leadership style can be a transformational leadership style since this style aims to fulfil the needs of the followers and inspire them to achieve their goals. The transformational leaders appeal to the desires of the inspiring followers and focus on creating a workplace which would motivate the followers to work harder and better towards their goal. These leaders empower the followers and support them in building their goals and develop their skills and knowledge. They help the followers to shape their attitude and values and make changes which are for the betterment of the organisation as well as the followers. These changes are made both collectively and individually and provide a vision which can be considered bright in the near future. Transformational leadership style helps the followers to solve their issues in a novel way and also the problems of the organisation with their own knowledge and skills that they are able to enhance with the help of the leader. On the other hand, Gopal and Chowdhury (2014) argue that an ideal leadership style would be the combination of transactional abilities and transformational elements such as motivation, idealized influence, tea, orientation, inspiration, recognition, intellectual stimulation, appreciation and others. This is because this kind of leadership style would help to motivate the followers and also provide them the freedom to choose their own path and take control of the situation themselves without depending on the leader. The job of the leader would be to guide the people in case of any issues that they might be facing. Such leadership styles gives more importance to coaching and training rather than deciding the way that the followers should go on.

Hence, it can be derived from the above analysis that even charismatic leaders have a dark side which creates a negative impact on the future and the achievement of the followers. However, in searching for an ideal style of leadership which will be helpful for the followers, it is not possible to decide on any one style since each style has their own pros and cons. Therefore, it is most important for a leader to follow their own style based on their expertise and work towards helping their followers rather than thinking about their personal gain.

References:

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Bell, R. M. (2013). Charismatic leadership case study with Ronald Reagan as exemplar. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 65(1), 83-91.

Fioravante, P. L. (2013). An effective leadership revelation–Blending dark side and positivist traits. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 15(1), 0794-125.

Ghasabeh, M. S., Soosay, C., & Reaiche, C. (2015). The emerging role of transformational leadership. The Journal of Developing Areas, 49(6), 459-467.

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Shamir, B., Arthur, M. B., & House, R. J. (2018). The rhetoric of charismatic leadership: A theoretical extension, a case study, and implications for research. In Leadership Now: Reflections on the Legacy of Boas Shamir (pp. 31-49). Emerald Publishing Limited.

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Westerlaken, K. M., & Woods, P. R. (2013). The relationship between psychopathy and the Full Range Leadership Model. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(1), 41-46.